


Something Broken

by pulchraedoloribus



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, some violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-01
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-07 20:35:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11066631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pulchraedoloribus/pseuds/pulchraedoloribus
Summary: After a long day at work, all Nicole wants to do is come home to a relaxing bath. Life has other plans for her.





	1. Chapter 1

It had been an exhausting day at work, and Nicole was looking forward to going home. After filing the last of her paperwork away and locking up, Nicole grabbed her stetson and headed to her car, dreaming of the hot bath she would draw the moment she found herself home again.

Upon stepping outside, Nicole was greeted by the icy wind whipping around her body- typical of Purgatory in the throws of winter. The air seemed to whistle around Nicole's car as she drove along the cold and vacant country road to where warmth and comfort awaited her. Although it was far too late to expect any sort of greeting upon passing the threshold, the idea of crawling into bed with someone else beside her was enough to put a smile on Nicole's face as she gently pulled onto their property and pulled the key out of the ignition.

However, what she walked into was far different than what Nicole had been picturing her entire ride home.

"Hello?"

Nicole had just finished drawing her bath when she noticed a distinct pounding noise echoing through the house. She looked around, noting that all of the lights had already been turned off for the night.

"Wave?" she called, making her way into the bedroom for the first time and realizing Waverly was nowhere to be found. Leaving her stetson and jacket in the bathroom where she had left it, Nicole refastened her holster and proceeded to the back of the house where the noise was coming from.

"Is anyone there?" Nicole called out one last time. Still, no response. Only a low, inconsistent beating.

It was a harsh thud followed by several smaller ones in succession. Upon drawing closer to the noise, Nicole realised it was far too loud and weighted for it to be her cat getting herself into trouble again or the old heater experiencing difficulties starting up. No, this was far different, and Nicole recognised the noise immediately. Someone had broken in.

Nicole sighed. She really wasn't in the mood for this. With one hand on her gun, Nicole crept to the back door, scanning the hallway as she prepared to open the door. This, unfortunately, was not the first time Nicole had to put someone out on their property. Ever since the Poker Spectacular, the threats against Waverly and her family had only become more frequent and more violent. This, in part, was why Nicole was able to justify moving in with Waverly and her sister to act as another body for defense; (it was just convenient that there weren't enough places to sleep without Waverly and Nicole pairing up). The first time Nicole had found a revenant lurking around on the Earp property, her heart was pounding and she found it difficult to breathe; it's not exactly the sort of thing they train you for as a cadet. However, seven incidents later, scanning the house and catching intruders off guard was second nature to her. Like now, when she would bring one hand to the handle, swing it open, aim her gun and,

"Waverly?"

Immediately, Nicole lowered her gun, placing it in her holster as she observed the scene in front of her. There were no introducers, just Waverly, soaked in a combination of tears and sweat as she huffed out heated breaths into the frigid night, beating away at her father's old punching bag that was strew up on their back porch. Waverly had yet to notice Nicole's presence, too preoccupied in repeatedly slamming her fists into the bag that Nicole now noticed was covered in blood.

"Waverly," Nicole stressed out of concern, slowly approaching the smaller woman so as not to frighten her. However, Waverly gave not as much as a sideways glance as she continued thrust her shoulders forward with one punch after the next, grunting as she fought back sobs.

It was clear at that point that Waverly was far too gone. By the looks of the bag and her bruised and bloody knuckles that were unwrapped and swollen, Nicole assumed she must have been out beating away at this thing for several hours. She had surpassed the stage of letting off steam in a calculated manner. Rather, each punch thrown was sloppy and contrary to the form she knew Waverly possessed. She wasn't hitting for practice. She was hitting for release.

Nicole held the bag, trying to get Waverly's attention. "Hey, I think you're done now. Let's go inside."

Only Waverly continued to pound her fists away, clenching her jaw and letting her tears fall without any attempt to hold them back now. The veins in her temple and neck were highly pronounced as all the pent up rage she was carrying from whatever issues that haunted her and she refused to discuss came to a point. Her lip trembled and her hands shook as she tried to keep a fist despite the swelling that had taken over her knuckles.

Nicole wasn't big on using force. She would much rather talk things through and use any physical interaction as a last resort- even when dealing with criminals. However, she also wasn't the kind of person who could sit back and watch people self-destruct. So she let go of the bag, made two strides to stand behind Waverly, and gently wrapped her arms around Waverly's chest from behind her. "Waves, you've gotta let it go," Nicole whispered into Waverly's hair that was now sticking to her face, trying to bring her back to reality. 

Waverly struggled under Nicole's grasp to continue beating the bag, but she still managed to resist. After several failed attempts to fully extend her arms, Waverly twisted back into Nicole, trying to jab away her left arm. Nicole, however, was faster. Taking advantage of the space Waverly had opened up on her left side, Nicole slipped in-between Waverly and the bag, catching her wrists as Waverly threw out her next punches. Her wrists were clammy, and it was hard for Nicole to keep her grasp on her when Waverly pulled back and tried pushing Nicole off. 

"Let go, Waves," Nicole hushed, allowing Waverly to weakly slam her fists against Nicole's chest. "Let it go."

That's when Waverly completely broke down with uncontrollable sobs collecting in her throat. After several light raps of her fists against Nicole's chest, Waverly gave in, almost falling if it weren't for Nicole's arms quickly wrapping around her waist, bringing her back up. "You're okay," she whispered, tucking a strand of Waverly's drenched hair behind her ear, revealing the puffy eyes that hid beneath it.

They stood like that for a moment, Waverly's quivering hands between her own chest and Nicole's as Nicole kept her stead with one arm and soothed her back with the other. Nicole knew better than to ask what had gotten Waverly to this point- at least not now; they could have that discussion later. What Waverly needed most right now was comfort, and some ice and gauze for those bloodied knuckles.

"Let's get you inside, okay?"

Nicole looked down, noting the very slight nod of Waverly's head against her chest as she continued to avoid eye contact.

"Okay," Nicole sighed, helping Waverly up the steps into the house, not sure if she trusted Waverly's feet right now. "Are you good to walk? Nicole asked as they reached the foyer. 

Waverly, staring at the ground, croaked, "Yeah."

Nicole nodded. "There's a warm bath waiting for you upstairs. I'll meet you up there in a minute."

Waverly nodded, turning to the main staircase and slowly making her way up as she relied on the rails to guide her. Once Nicole was comfortable that Waverly would be alright making it up on her unsteady legs, she turned to the kitchen and opened up the cabinet containing their first aide kit. She quickly grabbed a thing of gauze and ointment and put it in a bag so as to make everything easier to carry. She sighed as she took ice from the freezer and put it in another bag before grabbing a glass of water and heading to the bathroom. She thought her day at work had been exhausting, but coming home to find your girlfriend tormented to the point of incoherence was a whole new level of suffering.

"Hey," Nicole said softly, smiling empathetically as she made her presence known by the bathroom door. Waverly's gaze flitted towards her for only a moment before she broke eye-contact with a sense of shame. Nicole didn't push her. Rather, she set down that which she had brought up so she could grab a stool from the bedroom and prop it next to the tub. 

"Turn around," Nicole asked as she sat down on the stool in front of Waverly. Waverly complied, turning her back to her, and Nicole immediately began washing her hair.

'Nic- Nicole I'm sorry," Waverly sobbed, failing to keep her composure as Nicole's fingers combed through her hair. "I-"

"Ssshh," Nicole soothed. "We don't have to do this tonight, okay?" She heard Waverly take a staggering breath in. "What's important is that it's over now."

Waverly nodded slightly as Nicole scooped up water from the bath in her hands and rinsed Waverly's hair out with it. After making sure the soap was thoroughly rinsed out, Nicole grabbed the towel that was draped over her right knee and began drying Waverly's hair with it.

If it weren't for her knuckles that needed tending to, Nicole would have left Waverly to relax in the tub a while more. However, Nicole knew from experience that the longer the swelling remained untreated, the worse Waverly's hands would be. "Alright, hop out. I need to dress those hands of yours."

Slowly, Waverly stood up and stepped onto the tile, barely getting her grounding before Nicole engulfed her in a towel that she secured around her body. Nicole gestured to the closed toilet seat for Waverly to sit on as she brought the ice, stool, and first aide to her. "Hands out."

Waverly's hands shook as she held them out due to the advanced swelling that had already taken place. Nicole took Waverly's hands in hers softly, placing them on her knees as she got the ointment ready. After scooping out a fair amount onto her finger, Nicole began coating the broken skin with the ointment. Waverly winced. 

"Sorry," Nicole grunted, trying to finish the other hand as fast as she could so as to get the worst part done with as fast as possible. "I'm going to have to change these in the morning, but this will work for now."

Nicole took up the gauze and expertly wove it between Waverly's fingers and across the back of her hand the way Waverly should have wrapped her hands in the first place. Waverly groaned, but Nicole ignored it knowing that stopping would only draw out the process. Once the gauze was on snug, she offered Waverly the bag of ice and glass of water. 

"Thank you," Waverly managed just above a whisper as she held eye contact with Nicole for the first time that night.

Nicole offered a pained smile, standing up from her stool and offering Waverly a hand to stand as well. "I know I said we don't have to talk about this tonight," Nicole began, still holding Waverly's hand. "But we're going to have to talk about what happened tonight at some point."

Waverly pursed her lips, nodding gently at the floor before returning her gaze to Nicole. "I know. Tomorrow. I promise."

"Okay."

Nicole turned off the bathroom light and led the two of them back into their bedroom. She took Waverly's glass from her so she could get changed and left it by the bathroom sink. After pulling an oversized shirt over her head, Waverly met Nicole by the bathroom She went to offer her the ice pack, but Nicole shook her head. "You're going to want to keep that on their for a while or you're going to hate yourself even more tomorrow morning," she warned. "Trust me."

Waverly gave her a puzzled look as she realised Nicole was speaking from experience. She was about to question when she relented, too tired for any more talking that night.

Nicole pulled the sheets down for the both of them as they took to either side and climbed in. Once settled, she turned off the light and pulled the blankets up over them and sighed. Long days only meant for longer nights, it seemed. Nicole turned on her side, facing outward before she heard in the slightest of whispers, "I love you."

Nicole rolled back over, noting that Waverly was still sitting up, clearly pondering something.

"I love you too, Wave," she said softly, drawing Waverly's attention to her as she tugged at her arm. "Now get some rest."

Waverly sunk into their bed reluctantly, staring up at the ceiling as she tried to calm her heart as she had done so many nights before, despite the throbbing of her fingers. _It's all over now_ , Nicole had told her. Although that was far from the truth, Waverly knew as she continued to hear that phrase echo in her brain ironically knowing Nicole hadn't the slightest clue. _Oh, it's only beginning_ , she thought to herself, falling asleep to the thought of what tomorrow's conversation would bring.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because all angst deserves a chance at something better, an inkling of hope

"Ah, crap."

Waverly awoke with a groan as she scrunched her face up in discomfort. It took her a few moments to wake up and piece together the events of the night before. The first thing she realised was just how sore her body was. Her muscles ached, particularly her arms that felt weighted as she brought her hand to her face to wipe the sleep away from her eyes, only to be greeted with a cloth-like material. _Of course it wasn't a nightmare_ , Waverly thought to herself, groaning again as the pain in her hands became apparent to her.

She made progress to sit up only to fall right back down on the bed again, underestimating just how much pressure was still built up in her head from the events of the night before. "Bad idea," she berated herself, bringing the soles of her hands to her eyes in an attempt to counter the pressure. After pausing a moment and taking a deep breath, Waverly resolved to sit up again, only slower this time.

"Let's try this again," she sighed, propping herself up with one arm as she sat up and turned to let her legs fall against the side of the bed. For a moment, she just sat like that with her head in her hands, elbows resting against her knees, hair falling to her arms and legs dangling over the side of the bed. _One deep breath in, countless deep breaths out_ , she coached herself, trying to de-stress her already well-enflamed body.

As unfortunate as it may be, this wasn't Waverly's first time experiencing this sort of discomfort. Physical pain could barely amount to the emotional tolls life brought with it. Her childhood was one filled with many moments that warranted developing the skill of self-comfort and self-preservation in order to make it through any given number of scenarios with still a piece of her sanity kept in-tact. Early on, Waverly had recognised in herself that she was far more likely to fight than flee when conflict arose, which served her well on many occasions. However, sometimes it was more befitting to take a moment and pause, collect oneself, and then assess whether fighting through the battle would do anything to help win it. Moments like now, or last night...

Once she felt like she had calmed her mind some, Waverly slowly picked up her head from her hands so as to not dizzy herself and looked to her nightstand, checking the clock for the time. 7:49 flashed at her in green lights, though their numbers were soon forgotten as Waverly noticed the conspicuous piece of paper resting just beside it. Small print was scrawled across it in handwriting that Waverly recognised to be of one particular agent she had come to know through many letters previously addressed to her. It seems now was no different, as she noticed her name atop of the letter she had just picked up.

_Wave,_

_I'm sorry I couldn't be here when you woke up. I got called in early this morning and didn't want to wake you. I figured sleep would serve you far better than anything I could have said to you this morning. I hope you were able to rest well; I know we both haven't been so good at that as of late. Please take your time this morning. Make yourself something to eat, have a long shower, breathe a little fresh air. Just don't throw yourself back into work right away, okay? You need to grant yourself a little more grace._

_I should be off sometime early this afternoon. I'll stop by your office and check on you if you're coming in today. If not, I'll see you at home. I'll fix those bandages, and then we can talk. (For now, just take them off. Your hands will be happier if they get the chance to breathe.)._

_Take care of yourself, Waverly. I mean it. If you need me, you know where to reach me._

_My love always,_

_Nicole_

_P.S._

_I didn't mention anything to Wynonna, nor do I plan to. So how you want to proceed is all up to you. Tell her you caught Champ lusting after her bike and you beat him up, if you want. She'd totally back you on that._

Waverly smiled, allowing a faint laugh to spill from her lips before she set the letter down and-

"Shit!" she exclaimed, raising her arms in exasperation. "I'm gonna be late!"

Just like that, all of Nicole's requests went flying out the window as Waverly raced to get herself ready for the day. With Dolls locked away and virtually unreachable, the team had decided it was best if Waverly took on a more full-time position with Black Badge, acting as their intelligence analyst with field duties as necessitated. Besides securing Purgatory from all the monsters that now had free access in and out of their town, rescuing Dolls was Waverly's first duty. In order to expedite the process, she worked long hours, coming in no later than 8 and usually never leaving before 7, only to come home and continue her research on her laptop into the late hours of the night. Today would be the first day she ever didn't make it somewhere on time.

With her face thoroughly rinsed and teeth brushed, Waverly grabbed her jacket off the hook and keys of the table as she flew out the door, racing against time to make it to the sheriff's department.

* * *

"Dude, what the hell!?"

Waverly groaned. _Well that lasted all of thirty seconds._

She had just taken a seat at her desk and pulled her laptop out when Wynonna walked through, a piece of donut in her mouth and the rest pinched between three fingers in her left hand. Wynonna held it out dramatically, using her other hand to point to Waverly's hands for emphasis. "Did you get in a fight with the garbage disposal? Geez dude!"

"Drop it, Wynonna," Waverly dismissed, returning her gaze to her laptop screen. Wynonna, however, wasn't about to give up that easy.

"Dude you can't seriously come in with rainbow fingers and expect me not to ask about it."

Waverly simply ignored her, allowing Wynonna to stir in the silence. 

"Okay, fine. I'll drop it. Just remember machetes are for revenants and assholes, not you."

"Thanks for the tip," was all Waverly could muster.

Wynonna waved a hand from behind the door as she disappeared down the hall. "Can't say I never gave you good advice!"

Waverly shook her head, allowing herself to grin slightly as she was granted some peace once more. For all her faults, Wynonna was always good for some humour that could help diffuse almost any situation. Still, sometimes the less she knew the better.

"Now where was I..." Waverly muttered to herself as she opened up the file on her desktop entitled _Lucado,_ immediately becoming so consumed in her work that she nearly forgot about the events that had transpired the night before, and those that were yet to come tonight when she came home.

It was a little after one before Waverly was interrupted again.

 "Hey," said the familiar voice coming from the doorway. "You have a minute?"

* * *

Building blocks were a childhood staple. Kids create the tallest buildings they can possibly configure, surpassing themselves in height as they'd put the last block on top with the stretch of an arm on tippy toes. Then they stand back and admire their creation, grinning from ear to ear in anticipation for what would come next. For it wasn't the building itself that brought children the most pleasure. No, it was that moment when it all came crumbling down. And, much like childhood, that moment was fleeting. It was all too easy to strike the blocks down and experience that moment of power and strength and thrill. It was much harder to pick up all the pieces after the destruction and figure out whether it was opportune to begin building again with the inevitability of needing to repeat the process over, or resolve to cut one's losses and pack it all away. Waverly had built her tower and knocked it down to nothing. The time for destruction was over. Now it was time to pick up the pieces.

"So..." Nicole began.

They were both sitting across from each other in Waverly's office. Nicole had already shut and locked the door, knowing this was not the time for Wynonna to come bursting in unexpectedly to announce who she had just hooked up with. In truth, this was probably the most privacy and time alone they had had alone over the course of their relationship. Maybe an office room wasn't ideal, but they would take what they could get.

"So..." Waverly began, picking at her fingers- something Nicole realised she always did when she was nervous. "I guess there's really no easy way to do this, huh?"

Nicole simply put a hand on her knee, saying more than words ever could as she gained her gaze. "Hey, this isn't an interrogation, Waves. I just want to know what's going on in that head of yours so I can be a better girlfriend to you. Let me help you."

"I'm not good at this."

Nicole nodded. It was true. Despite how expressive Waverly appeared, there was much she kept locked tight inside. When you spent much of your life without a confidant or people in your life encouraging you to open up and ask for help when life was too much to handle on your own, it isn't exactly an easy task to suddenly reveal the most vulnerable parts of yourself.

The thought of opening up was clearly giving Waverly anxiety, and Nicole saw it building in her face. In an attempt to help her along, Nicole asked, "Does this have anything to do with what Bobo said to you that night?"

"What?" Waverly was taken off guard. _How did she know about that?_

"Look, I'd be lying if I said I was the only one worried about you," Nicole explained. "Wynonna approached me one night, voicing her own concerns."

Nicole looked up apprehensively, not knowing the reaction that would be awaiting her. Waverly continued to stare back in pained confusion, so she continued. "She mentioned Bobo and the treehouse... Said you came back different, and she had her suspicions."

"So what exactly is she saying happened then, huh?" Waverly's voice shook. She crossed her arms.

"I was hoping you would tell me that."

Nicole's voice was soft and unassuming. Waverly knew that if she wanted, she could storm out right now and Nicole would respect her decision. But she also knew that if she didn't let this out now, there would be other consequences awaiting her. And that really, her inhibitions to voice her innermost thoughts had nothing to do with Nicole. Rather, they were a self-preservation technique that had long expired in their utility. She had people in her life who were there for her now and had the time to inquire and support her in her struggles. "Yes."

Nicole's face scrunched in confusion. "Yes...?"

"Yes. Something happened at the tree house." Waverly was hesitant. _Get it together. Just say it_. She sighed. "Bobo, he uh-"

Wavily bit her lip. _Why was this so difficult?_

"Hey, it's going to be okay," Nicole soothed, rubbing a thumb back and forth across Waverly's knee as she collected herself.

"I'm not an Earp, okay? I'm not an Earp and Wynonna's not my real sister and I don't belong here and-"

"Woah there, slow down," Nicole stopped her, knowing Waverly would only continue to spin out of control into incoherence if she didn't intervene. "What do you mean you don't belong here?"

"I don't have a role in the Earp curse, okay? I can never break it. I'm not an Earp and-"

"Who told you you weren't an Earp? Bobo?"

Waverly simply nodded.

"Well he could be lying for all you know."

"And he could be telling the truth for all you know as well," Waverly combatted.

Nicole sighed, wraking her fingers through her hair. "You're right. He could be telling the truth."

"Yeah, he could. Probably is and-"

"And so what? What will that change?"

"What will that change!? Nicole. That changes everything!" Waverly's voice grew more frantic. She stood up and began pacing the room so as to release some of the pent up energy racing through her bloodstream. "Everything I've worked for, every justification of my purpose and who I am and my identity, it's all gone!"

"It's all gone? Really? Waverly, for someone so smart, you're so blind to your own value."

Waverly just huffed as she clenched her jaw and fought back tears. She felt ridiculous.

"If you're not an Earp, Waves, that means you never were. And yet you still managed to single handedly learn all there is to know about the Earp curse. You're the one who identified the revenants. You're the one who came up with a plan on how to protect Purgatory. You're the one who stood your ground and went against what everyone else was telling you you should be and should do because you knew what was right. That was all you, Waverly. And no sorry old man or DNA test could ever take that away from you. You were never just an Earp. You're Waverly. And that's who people care about," Nicole proclaimed as she grew emotional herself. "That's who I fell in love with."

Nicole and Waverly just stared at each other for a moment, both trying to gauge what the other was feeling in that moment through their expression. Waverly concluded that Nicole was sincere, and all she could do was shake her head as tears began to build.

"Hey, come here," Nicole soothed and approached Waverly with outstretched arms for her to collapse into. "You're going to be alright, Waverly. Just hang in there."

Nicole slowly ran her fingers softly up and down Waverly's back as she breathed in the smell of her coconut shampoo, as Waverly calmed herself to the sound of Nicole's heartbeat. "I feel so stupid," Nicole heard Waverly mumble as she fidgeted in her embrace to wipe the tears from her cheeks. 

"Well I feel proud," Nicole responded, pulling back to meet Waverly's gaze. She tucked her hair behind Waverly's ears on either side and smiled affectionately. Even in a total breakdown, she was remarkable beyond words. _How does she do that?_ "Because the universe allowed me the chance to know the most intelligent, brave, strong individual one could ever hope to be, and she gave me the opportunity to call her mine."

Another tear slipped down Waverly's cheek as she smiled. Nicole chuckled, becoming teary-eyed herself. "I hate your stupid words."

Nicole laughed again. "I know." She hugged her again, giving her back a quick, affectionate rub, and sighed. "How about we call it quits for the day and head home, huh?" Nicole suggested. "I could go for a nice Netflix binge and you have some rainbow fingers that need tending too."

Waverly's jaw dropped as Nicole's clenched in a smirk, trying not to laugh. "No..." Nicole started to giggle as she watched Waverly's flabbergasted expression. "Wynonna did not seri-"

"Oh yes she did," Nicole laughed as Waverly shook her head.

Waverly wiped the tears from her face and made pace to the door. "I swear I will-"

Nicole chuckled, thankful that the tension was diffused, and slung an arm around her tiny, angry girlfriend. "C'mon, Waves. Let's go home." _We're gonna be alright._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who left kudos and comments. I seriously appreciate the love :) If you have any prompts, be sure to leave them below. And check me out on twitter and tumblr @waverlyreyes!

**Author's Note:**

> This was just intended as a one-shot to get me writing again. If any of you have prompts and want to leave them below, that would be greatly appreciated :)


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